Nepali Netbook

By Maila Baje Call it the Dahal Doctrine. Think what you will about the controversy surrounding the latest proposal to amend the Constitution, but change is progress. We now have it on good authority of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal that amending the basic law is the beginning of its …

By Maila Baje Whatever the reasons behind the precipitous unification of Nepal’s two major rightwing parties last week, one thing is pretty clear. The development is not part of the wave of rightwing populism blowing across the West and elsewhere. So let’s start by not rushing to anoint our version …

By Maila Baje It’s not hard to see why an intense sense of public despondency overshadows the 10-year anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) signed between the interim government led by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the erstwhile Maoist rebels. In all fairness, the CPA did succeed in …

By Maila Baje Whatever we may think about Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s 100 days in office, the Chinese don’t seem terribly impressed. Still, that alone should be cause for celebration for our top Maoist, if you consider the circumstances that led to his ascension. Had the K.P. Oli government …

By Maila Baje Surely, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. The coordinator of our nascent New Force is struggling hard to defend his patriotic credentials. A riled Dr. Baburam Bhattarai told an audience the other day that his genetic code was so pulsating with pure-bred nationalism that it needed …

By Maila Baje Darn it, they couldn’t let our exhilaration last a little longer. When news broke of the surprise trilateral meeting between the leaders of Nepal, China and India on the sidelines of the Goa BRICS summit, it really felt, well, good, to say the least. Finally, our two …

By Maila Baje So it eventually had to come to this. A decade after triumphing in their ‘people’s war’, Baburam Bhattarai is accusing Pushpa Kamal Dahal of betraying the nation in order to maintain his grip on power by signing a despicable agreement with India during his recent trip down …

By Maila Baje Was Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to India really as successful as is being officially characterized in both countries? The answer would rest on whether Chinese President Xi Jinping lands in Kathmandu this year – or ever. From New Delhi’s standpoint, at least, our prime minister’s …

By Maila Baje Something eerie seems to be going on with Comrade Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Of course, he’s trying hard this time to be humble, contrite and all that. Nothing wrong there. The bluster and superciliousness of his last tenure as premier did not serve him well. Let the man …

By Maila Baje Khum Bahadur Khadka is a restless man. He has been edgy for quite a while. The Nepali Congress luminary is said to have around half a dozen central committee members and twice that number of lawmakers in his camp. He has been seeking the party’s vice-presidency, citing …